Learners design and build an airbag system that can safely land an egg dropped from a height of 3' onto the floor. This resource includes a challenge video, leader notes, and handouts. Two supplemental videos are included: 1) An airbag landing...(View More) system in action as a NASA rover lands on Mars, and 2) NASA materials engineer Erick Ordoñez explaining how he makes sure that the materials NASA sends into space are problem-free. This challenge is part of Mission: Solar System, NASA and Design Squad® Nation, a series of hands-on activities and videos let kids apply science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills to solve design challenges. Introductory resources include resources for running a challenge, introducing the design process, and tips for facilitating open-ended challenges.(View Less)

Learners design and build a device that can take a core sample from a potato. This resource includes a challenge video, leader notes, and handouts. Two supplemental videos are included: 1) NASA's Curiosity rover drilling into a rock on Mars and...(View More) collecting a sample and 2) NASA spacewalk flight controller and trainer Allison Bolinger teaching astronauts how to work outside their spacecraft. This challenge is part of Mission: Solar System, NASA and Design Squad® Nation, a series of hands-on activities and videos let kids apply science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills to solve design challenges. Introductory resources include resources for running a challenge, introducing the design process, and tips for facilitating open-ended challenges.(View Less)

In this hands-on engineering challenge, learners design, build, and improve a model that allows a moving object to change direction using an invisible force. Mimicking the gravity-assisted travel of the New Horizons spacecraft, learners roll a steel...(View More) ball (spacecraft) past a magnet (magnetic field) to hit a target (Mars) that is off to the side. This resource includes a challenge video, leader notes, and handouts. Two supplemental videos are included: 1) the use of gravity assisted travel by NASA's New Horizons mission and 2) NASA aerospace engineer Victoria Garcia describing how she uses virtual-reality tools to design living and work spaces for astronauts. She also talks about not letting her deafness be a barrier in her life. This challenge is part of Mission: Solar System, NASA and Design Squad® Nation, a series of hands-on activities and videos let kids apply science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills to solve design challenges. Introductory resources include information on running a challenge and introducing the design process, and tips for facilitating open-ended challenges. This resource has been vetted as part of the NGSS@NSTA curated collection.(View Less)

Learners design and build a device that can pass above a surface and detect magnetic fields. This resource includes a challenge video, leader notes, and handouts. Two supplemental videos are included: 1) Measuring Magnetic Fields and 2) NASA flight...(View More) systems engineer Tracy Drain explaining her role on the Juno spacecraft team. This challenge is part of Mission: Solar System, NASA and Design Squad® Nation, a series of hands-on activities and videos let kids apply science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills to solve design challenges. Introductory resources include resources for running a challenge, introducing the design process, and tips for facilitating open-ended challenges. This resource has been vetted as part of the NGSS@NSTA curated collection.(View Less)

Using a plastic tray filled with sand to represent a planetary surface, learners simulate the effects of wind, water, and impacts. They will compare the surface effects they create with actual images of planetary surfaces- and determine the causes...(View More) of the features in the images. This activity was designed to be used in a library program.(View Less)

Students "observe" an imaginary new planet in our galaxy from the relative distances of a ground-based telescope, the Hubble Telescope, and a fly-by mission. After recording their observations and discussing the differences, they compare their...(View More) observations to actual images of Pluto taken from the New Horizons spacecraft during its July 2015 fly-by.(View Less)

Using new and recycled materials, learners construct a rocket car that moves by the use of a balloon and a straw system. Following trial runs, learners engineer revisions to the car design to improve the distance that it travels. Templates,...(View More) pictures, worksheets and a lengthy list of suggested construction materials are provided. This activity was designed for use in a library program.(View Less)

Using different perspectives- the unaided eye, a magnifying lens, and a satellite- provides different information. Children make observations of common objects- along with images of butterflies, the Mississippi River, a fire in the Colorado Black...(View More) Forest, and Mars- to learn how views from close up and views from far away change our understandings. This activity was designed for use in a library program.(View Less)

An introduction to the Landsat satellite is presented through a poster with accompanying images, information and classroom lesson. The poster displays 10 pairs of international Landsat images highlighting changes over time from both natural and...(View More) human-induced causes. The back of the poster provides a glimpse into the history, purpose, and benefits of the Landsat mission. An introduction to the AmericaView program includes information on Earth Observation Day. The lesson uses a matching game format to encourage students to investigate, identify, compare/contrast and report on scenes in Landsat images. See Related & Supplemental Resources for a booklet format of the poster back and additional Landsat image change pairs from Earthshots.(View Less)